Organizers of the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade face a growing political backlash for their refusal to let a group of 20 gay veterans participate as openly LGBTQ in the nation’s second largest Irish-themed march.

The government has cleared the first burial of a same-sex spouse of a veteran in a national cemetery, but it’s far from certain how easy it will be for other gay military couples to win the same benefit.

Tracey Cooper-Harris, who served in the Army for 12 years, announced on Wednesday that she will file a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs after her application for benefits for her spouse was denied.

Deb Stallings was more than a little surprised when she found out that budgetary concerns meant that residents of the veterans’ home in the Napa Valley, one of the world’s most renowned wine regions, were being served wine from - gasp! - out of state.